Method and apparatus for estimating a maximum rate of data and for estimating power required for transmission of data at a rate of data in a communication system

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for estimating maximum rate of data and for estimating a transmission power required for transmission of a data with a rate of data in a communication system are disclosed. A terminal determines a quality metric of a communication link, over which data are to be transmitted, and modifies the determined quality metric by a quality metric margin. The terminal then estimates the maximum rate of data in accordance with the modified quality metric. Alternatively, the terminal then estimates transmission power required for transmission of a data with a rate of data in accordance with the rate of data and the modified quality metric. The quality metric margin may be a pre-determined or dynamically adjusted. The terminal dynamically adjusts the quality metric margin in accordance with a result of comparison of a transmit power corresponding to the estimated maximum rate of data with an actual transmit power used to transmit the data.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates generally to communication systems, andmore specifically to a method and an apparatus for estimating a reverselink maximum data rate and for estimating power required fortransmission of data at a rate of data in a communication system.

2. Background

Communication systems have been developed to allow transmission ofinformation signals from an origination station to a physically distinctdestination station. In transmitting an information signal from theorigination station over a communication channel, the information signalis first converted into a form suitable for efficient transmission overthe communication channel. Conversion, or modulation, of the informationsignal involves varying a parameter of a carrier wave in accordance withthe information signal in such a way that the spectrum of the resultingmodulated carrier wave is confined within the communication channelbandwidth. At the destination station the original information signal isreconstructed from the modulated carrier wave received over thecommunication channel. In general, such a reconstruction is achieved byusing an inverse of the modulation process employed by the originationstation.

Modulation also facilitates multiple access, i.e., simultaneoustransmission and/or reception, of several signals over a commoncommunication channel. Multiple access communication systems ofteninclude a plurality of remote subscriber units requiring intermittentservice of relatively short duration rather than continuous access tothe common communication channel. Several multiple-access techniques areknown in the art, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) andFrequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA). Another type of multipleaccess technique is a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) spreadspectrum system that conforms to the “TIA/EIA/IS-95 Mobile Station-BaseStation Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wide-Band Spread SpectrumCellular System,” hereinafter referred to as the IS-95 standard. The useof CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled “SPREAD SPECTRUMMULTIPLE-ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIALREPEATERS,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORGENERATING WAVEFORMS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM,” both assignedto the assignee of the present invention.

A multiple access communication system may be a wireless or wire-lineand may carry voice and/or data. An example of a communication systemcarrying both voice and data is a system in accordance with the IS-95standard, which specifies transmitting voice and data over thecommunication channel. A method for transmitting data in code channelframes of fixed size is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,773,entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATTING OF DATA FORTRANSMISSION”, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Inaccordance with the IS-95 standard, the data or voice is partitionedinto code channel frames that are 20 milliseconds wide with data ratesas high as 14.4 kbps. Additional examples of a communication systemscarrying both voice and data comprise communication systems conformingto the “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP), embodied in a set ofdocuments including Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS25.213, and 3G TS 25.214 (the W-CDMA standard), or “TR-45.5 PhysicalLayer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems” (the IS-2000standard).

In a multiple access communication system, communications between usersare conducted through one or more base stations. A first user on onesubscriber station communicates to a second user on a second subscriberstation by transmitting data on a reverse link to a base station. Thebase station receives the data and can route the data to another basestation. The data is transmitted on a forward link of the same basestation, or the other base station, to the second subscriber station.The forward link refers to transmission from a base station to asubscriber station and the reverse link refers to transmission from asubscriber station to a base station. Likewise, the communication can beconducted between a first user on one mobile subscriber station and asecond user on a landline station. A base station receives the data fromthe user on a reverse link, and routes the data through a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) to the second user. In manycommunication systems, e.g., IS-95, W-CDMA, IS-2000, the forward linkand the reverse link are allocated separate frequencies.

An example of a data only communication system is a High Data Rate (HDR)communication system that conforms to the TIA/EIA/IS-856 industrystandard, hereinafter referred to as the IS-856 standard. This HDRsystem is based on a communication system disclosed in co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 08/963,386, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHRATE PACKET DATA TRANSMISSION,” filed Nov. 3, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.6,574,211, issued Jun. 3, 2003 to Padovani et al., assigned to theassignee of the present invention. The HDR communication system definesa set of data rates, ranging from 38.4 kbps to 2.4 Mbps, at which anaccess point (AP) may send data to a subscriber station (accessterminal, AT). Because the AP is analogous to a base station, theterminology with respect to cells and sectors is the same as withrespect to voice systems.

In a wireless communication system, maximizing a capacity of thecommunication system in terms of the number of simultaneous telephonecalls that can be handled is extremely important. The capacity in aspread spectrum communication system can be maximized if thetransmission power of each subscriber station is controlled such thateach transmitted signal arrives at a base station receiver at the samesignal level. However, if a signal transmitted by a subscriber stationarrives at the base station receiver at a power level that is too low,quality communications cannot be achieved due to interference from theother subscriber stations. On the other hand, if the subscriber stationtransmitted signal is at a power level that is too high when received atthe base station, communication with this particular subscriber stationis acceptable but this high power signal acts as interference to othersubscriber stations. This interference may adversely affectcommunications with other subscriber stations. Therefore, eachsubscriber station needs to transmit the minimum signal level expressedas e.g., a signal-to-noise ratio, that allows transmitted data recovery.

Consequently, the transmission power of each subscriber station withinthe coverage area of a base station is controlled by the base station toproduce the same nominal received signal power or a signal to noiseratio at the base station. In an ideal case, the total signal powerreceived at the base station is equal to the nominal power received fromeach subscriber station multiplied by the number of subscriber stationstransmitting within the coverage area of the base station plus the powerreceived at the base station from subscriber stations in the coveragearea of neighboring base stations.

The path loss in the radio channel can be characterized by two separatephenomena: average path loss and fading. The forward link, from the basestation to the subscriber station, operates on a different frequencythan the reverse link, from the subscriber station to the base station.However, because the forward link and reverse link frequencies arewithin the same general frequency band, a significant correlationbetween the average path losses of the two links exists. On the otherhand, fading is an independent phenomenon for the forward link andreverse link and varies as a function of time.

In an exemplary CDMA system, each subscriber station estimates the pathloss of the forward link based on the total power at the input to thesubscriber station. The total power is the sum of the power from allbase stations operating on the same frequency assignment as perceived bythe subscriber station. From the estimate of the average forward linkpath loss, the subscriber station sets the transmit level of the reverselink signal. This type of an open loop control is advantageous whenthere is a correlation between a forward link and a reverse link. Shouldthe reverse link channel for one subscriber station suddenly improvecompared to the forward link channel for the same subscriber station dueto independent fading of the two channels, the signal as received at thebase station from this subscriber station would increase in power. Thisincrease in power causes additional interference to all signals sharingthe same frequency assignment. Thus a rapid response of the subscriberstation transmit power to the sudden improvement in the channel wouldimprove system performance. Therefore, it is necessary to have the basestation continually contribute to the power control mechanism of thesubscriber station. Such a power control mechanism relies on a feedback,also referred to as a closed loop.

Each base station with which the subscriber station is in communicationmeasures the received signal strength from the subscriber station. Themeasured signal strength is compared to a desired signal strength levelfor that particular subscriber station. A power adjustment command isgenerated by each base station and sent to the subscriber station on theforward link. In response to the base station power adjustment command,the subscriber station increases or decreases the subscriber stationtransmit power by a predetermined amount. By this method, a rapidresponse to a change in the channel is effected and the average systemperformance is improved. Note that in a typical cellular system, thebase stations are not intimately connected and each base station in thesystem is unaware of the power level at which the other base stationsreceive the subscriber station's signal.

When a subscriber station is in communication with more than one basestation, power adjustment commands are provided from each base station.The subscriber station acts upon these multiple base station poweradjustment commands to avoid transmit power levels that may adverselyinterfere with other subscriber station communications and yet providesufficient power to support communication from the subscriber station toat least one of the base stations. This power control mechanism isaccomplished by having the subscriber station increase its transmitsignal level only if every base station with which the subscriberstation is in communication requests an increase in power level. Thesubscriber station decreases its transmit signal level if any basestation with which the subscriber station is in communication requeststhat the power be decreased. A system for base station and subscriberstation power control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109 entitled“METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMISSION POWER IN A CDMACELLULAR MOBILE TELEPHONE SYSTEM,” issued Oct. 8, 1991, assigned to theAssignee of the present invention.

There is a relationship between a transmission power and a rate of datato be transmitted. Communication systems, in general, do not allow aninstantaneous change of rate of data. If a transmission channel linkcondition changes, resulting in a need to change a transmission powerand a data rate during the interval when a rate of data cannot bechanged, the transmitted data may be erased. Therefore, there is a needin the art to estimate a rate of data that can be transmitted without anerasure under all channel conditions, or alternatively to estimate powerrequired for transmission of data at a rate of data.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the invention, the above-stated needs are addressed bydetermining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over whichdata is to be transmitted and modifying said quality metric by a qualitymetric margin. The maximum rate of data is then determined in accordancewith said modified quality metric. Alternatively, power required fortransmission of data at a rate of data is determined in accordance withsaid modified quality metric and a rate of the data.

In another aspect of the invention, the quality metric is modified by apre-determined quality metric margin. Alternatively, modifying saidquality metric by a quality metric margin is achieved by declaring anoutage event when power required for transmission of a second referencesignal exceeds power required for transmission of the second referencesignal determined from previously modified quality metric; detectingoccurrence of the outage event during a pre-determined interval; andmodifying said quality metric in accordance with said detecting.

In another aspect of the invention, the outage is detected bydetermining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over whichdata is to be transmitted; modifying said quality metric by a qualitymetric margin; and declaring an outage event when power required fortransmission of a reference signal exceeds power required fortransmission of the reference signal determined from the modifiedquality metric. Alternatively, the outage is detected by determining ata source of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to betransmitted; modifying said quality metric by a quality metric margin;determining a maximum rate of data in accordance with said modifiedquality metric; and declaring an outage event when power required fortransmission of data at the maximum rate of data exceeds maximumallowable transmission power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of an HDR communication system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary forward link waveform;

FIG. 3 illustrates a reverse link transmission power control;

FIG. 4 illustrates a reverse link quality estimator;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for transmit power limiting;

FIG. 6 illustrates a conceptual arrangement of an embodiment of reverselink maximum admissible data rate estimation;

FIG. 7 illustrates a predictor;

FIG. 8 illustrates a peak filter;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary reverse link waveform;

FIG. 10 illustrates arrangement of another embodiment of reverse linkmaximum admissible data rate estimation; and

FIG. 11 illustrates an outage event detector in accordance with oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions

The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as anexample, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

The term access network is used exclusively herein to mean a collectionof access points (AP) and one or more access point controllers. Theaccess network transports data packets between multiple access terminals(AT). The access network may be further connected to additional networksoutside the access network, such as a corporate intranet or theInternet, and may transport data packets between each access terminaland such outside networks.

The term base station, referred to herein as an AP in the case of an HDRcommunication system, is used exclusively herein to mean the hardwarewith which subscriber stations communicate. Cell refers to the hardwareor a geographic coverage area, depending on the context in which theterm is used. A sector is a partition of a cell. Because a sector hasthe attributes of a cell, the teachings described in terms of cells arereadily extended to sectors.

The term subscriber station, referred to herein as an AT in the case ofan HDR communication system, is used exclusively herein to mean thehardware with which an access network communicates. An AT may be mobileor stationary. An AT may be any data device that communicates through awireless channel or through a wired channel, for example using fiberoptic or coaxial cables. An AT may further be any of a number of typesof devices including but not limited to PC card, compact flash, externalor internal modem, or wireless or wireline phone. An AT that is in theprocess of establishing an active traffic channel connection with an APis said to be in a connection setup state. An AT that has established anactive traffic channel connection with an AP is called an active AT, andis said to be in a traffic state.

The term communication channel/link is used exclusively herein to mean asingle route over which a signal is transmitted described in terms ofmodulation characteristics and coding, or a single route within theprotocol layers of either the AP or the AT.

The term reverse channel/link is used exclusively herein to mean acommunication channel/link through which the AT sends signals to the AP.

A forward channel/link is used exclusively herein to mean acommunication channel/link through which an AP sends signals to an AT.

The term soft hand-off is used exclusively herein to mean acommunication between a subscriber station and two or more sectors,wherein each sector belongs to a different cell. In the context of IS-95standard, the reverse link communication is received by both sectors,and the forward link communication is simultaneously carried on the twoor more sectors' forward links. In the context of the IS-856 standard,data transmission on the forward link is non-simultaneously carried outbetween one of the two or more sectors and the AT.

The term erasure is used exclusively herein to mean failure to recognizea message.

The term outage is used exclusively herein to mean a time intervalduring which the likelihood that a subscriber station will receiveservice is reduced.

Description

FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a communication systemcapable of performing maximum rate of data estimation in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. Various aspects of the maximumrate of data estimation will be described in the context of a CDMAcommunications system, specifically a communication system in accordancewith the IS-856 standard. However, those of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that the aspects of the maximum rate of data estimationare likewise suitable for use in various other communicationsenvironments. Accordingly, any reference to a CDMA communications systemis intended only to illustrate the inventive aspects of the presentinvention, with the understanding that such inventive aspects have awide range of applications.

In the above-mentioned communication system, an AP 100 transmits data toan AT 104 over a forward link 106(1), and receives data from the AT 104over a reverse link 108(1). Similarly, an AP 102 transmits data to theAT 104 over a forward link 106(2), and receives data from the AT 104over a reverse link 108(2). In accordance with one embodiment, datatransmission on the forward link occurs from one AP to one AT at or nearthe maximum data rate that can be supported by the forward link and thecommunication system. Other channels of the forward link, e.g., controlchannel, may be transmitted from multiple APs to one AT. Reverse linkdata communication may occur from one AT to one or more APs. The AP 100and the AP 102 are connected to a controller 110 over backhauls 112(1)and 112(2). The term backhaul is used to mean a communication linkbetween a controller and an AP. Although only two AT's and one AP areshown in FIG. 1, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that thisis for pedagogical purposes only, and the communication system cancomprise plurality of AT's and AP's.

Initially, the AT 104 and one of the AP's, e.g., the AP 100, establish acommunication link using a predetermined access procedure. In thisconnected state, the AT 104 is able to receive data and control messagesfrom the AP 100, and is able to transmit data and control messages tothe AP 100. The AT 104 continually searches for other APs that could beadded to the AT 104 active set. The active set comprises a list of theAPs capable of communication with the AT 104. When such an AP is found,the AT 104 calculates a quality metric of the AP's forward link, whichin one embodiment comprises a signal-to-interference and-noise ratio(SINR). In one embodiment, the AT 104 searches for other APs anddetermines the AP's SINR in accordance with a pilot signal.Simultaneously, the AT 104 calculates the forward link quality metricfor each AP in the AT 104 active set. If the forward link quality metricfrom a particular AP is above a predetermined add threshold or below apredetermined drop threshold for a predetermined period of time, the AT104 reports this information to the AP 100. Subsequent messages from theAP 100 direct the AT 104 to add to or to delete from the AT 104 activeset the particular AP.

The AT 104 selects a serving AP from the active set based on a set ofparameters. The term serving AP refers to an AP that a particular ATselected for data communication or an AP that is communicating data tothe particular AT. The set of parameters can comprise present andprevious SINR measurements, a bit-error-rate and/or a packet-error-rate,and other parameters known to one skilled in the art. In one embodiment,the serving AP is selected in accordance with the largest SINRmeasurement. The AT 104 then specifies the selected AP in a data requestmessage (DRC message), transmitted on the data request channel (DRCchannel). The DRC message can contain the requested data rate or,alternatively, an indication of the quality of the forward link, e.g.,the measured SINR, the bit-error-rate, or the packet-error-rate. In oneembodiment, the AT 104 can direct the transmission of the DRC message toa specific AP by the use of a Walsh code, which uniquely identifies thespecific AP. The DRC message symbols are tensor-multiplied (shaped) withthe unique Walsh code. The tensor-multiplication (shaping) operation isreferred to as Walsh covering of a signal. Since each AP in the activeset of the AT 104 is identified by a unique Walsh code, only theselected AP which correlates the DRC signal with the correct Walsh codecan correctly decode the DRC message.

The data to be transmitted to the AT 104 arrives at the controller 110.In accordance with one embodiment, the controller 110 sends the data toall APs in AT 104 active set over the backhaul 112. In anotherembodiment, the controller 110 first determines, which AP was selectedby the AT 104 as the serving AP, and then sends the data to the servingAP. The data is stored in a queue at the AP(s). A paging message is thensent by one or more APs to the AT 104 on respective control channels.The AT 104 demodulates and decodes the signals on one or more controlchannels to obtain the paging messages.

At each time-slot, the AP can schedule data transmission to any of theATs that received the paging message. An exemplary method for schedulingtransmission is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,229,795, entitled “SYSTEMFOR ALLOCATING RESOURCES IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” assigned to theassignee of the present invention. The AP uses the rate controlinformation received from each AT in the DRC message to efficientlytransmit forward link data at the highest possible rate. In oneembodiment, the AP determines the data rate at which to transmit thedata to the AT 104 based on the most recent value of the DRC messagereceived from the AT 104. Additionally, the AP uniquely identifies atransmission to the AT 104 by using a spreading code which is unique tothat mobile station. In the exemplary embodiment, this spreading code isthe long pseudo noise (PN) code, which is defined by the IS-856standard.

The AT 104, for which the data packet is intended, receives the datatransmission and decodes the data packet. In one embodiment, each datapacket is associated with an identifier, e.g. a sequence number, whichis used by the AT 104 to detect either missed or duplicatetransmissions. In such an event, the AT 104 communicates via the reverselink data channel the sequence numbers of the missing data units. Thecontroller 110, which receives the data messages from the AT 104 via theAP communicating with the AT 104, then indicates to the AP what dataunits were not received by the AT 104. The AP then schedules aretransmission of such data units.

One skilled in the art recognizes that an AP can comprise one or moresectors. In the description above, the term AP was used generically toallow clear explanation of basic concepts of the HDR communicationsystem. However, one skilled in the art can extend the explainedconcepts to an AP comprising any number of sectors. Consequently, theconcept of sector will be used throughout the rest of the document.

Forward Link Structure

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary forward link waveform 200. Forpedagogical reasons, the waveform 200 is modeled after a forward linkwaveform of the above-mentioned HDR system. However, one of ordinaryskill in the art will understand that the teaching is applicable todifferent waveforms. Thus, for example, in one embodiment the waveformdoes not need to contain pilot signal bursts, and the pilot signal canbe transmitted on a separate channel, which can be continuous or bursty.The forward link 200 is defined in terms of frames. A frame is astructure comprising 16 time-slots 202, each time-slot 202 being 2048chips long, corresponding to a 1.66 ms. time-slot duration, and,consequently, a 26.66 ms. frame duration. Each time-slot 202 is dividedinto two half-time-slots 202A, 202B, with pilot bursts 204A, 204Btransmitted within each half-time-slot 204A, 204B. In the exemplaryembodiment, each pilot burst 204A, 204B is 96 chips long, and iscentered at the mid-point of its associated half-time-slot 204A, 204B.The pilot bursts 204A, 204B comprise a pilot channel signal covered by aWalsh cover with index 0. A forward medium access control channel (MAC)206 forms two bursts, which are transmitted immediately before andimmediately after the pilot burst 204 of each half-time-slot 202. In theexemplary embodiment, the MAC is composed of up to 64 code channels,which are orthogonally covered by 64-ary Walsh codes. Each code channelis identified by a MAC index, which has a value between 1 and 64, andidentifies a unique 64-ary Walsh cover. A reverse power control channel(RPC) is used to regulate the power of the reverse link signals for eachsubscriber station. The RPC commands are generated by comparing measuredreverse link transmission power at the base station with a power controlset point. If the measured reverse link transmission power is below theset point, then an RPC up command is provided to the subscriber stationto increase the reverse link transmission power. If the measured reverselink transmission power is above the set point, then an RPC down commandis provided to the subscriber station to decrease the reverse linktransmission power. The RPC is assigned to one of the available MACswith MAC index between 5 and 63. The MAC with MAC index 4 is used for areverse activity channel (RA), which performs flow control on thereverse traffic channel. The forward link traffic channel and controlchannel payload is sent in the remaining portions 208A of the firsthalf-time-slot 202A and the remaining portions 208B of the secondhalf-time-slot 202B.

Reverse Link Power Control

Unlike the forward link, whose channels are always transmitted at fullavailable power, the reverse link comprises channels, whose transmissionis power controlled, to achieve the goal of maximized capacity of thecommunication system as explained above. Consequently, aspects of themaximum rate of data estimation will be described in the context of thereverse link. However, as those of ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate, these aspects are equally applicable to a forwardlink in a communication system, whose forward link is also powercontrolled.

The reverse link transmission power of the communication system inaccordance with the IS-856 standard is controlled by two power controlloops, an open loop and a closed loop. Conceptual arrangement of theopen loop and closed loop is illustrated in FIG. 3. The first powercontrol loop is an open loop control. The open loop generates anestimate of the reverse link quality metric in block 302. In oneembodiment, the quality metric is a path loss. The estimated path lossis then translated into a required transmit power (TxOpenLoopPwr) inaccordance with other factors, e.g., a base station loading. In oneembodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, block 302 (of FIG. 3) comprises afilter 402 filtering a received signal power RxPwr. The filtered RxPwris provided to block 404 together with a parameter K providingcompensation for base station loading and translation to theTxOpenLoopPwr. In one embodiment, the block 404 combines the filteredRxPwr and the parameter K in accordance with an Equation (1):TxOpenLoopPwr=K−F(RxPwr)  (1)

where F is the transfer function of the filter 402.

In one embodiment, the received signal is a signal received on a pilotchannel. One of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that otherembodiments of an open loop estimation process are well known the artand are equally applicable.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the function of the closed loop is to correctthe open loop estimate, which does not take into account environmentallyinduced phenomena, such as shadowing, and other user interferences, toachieve a desired signal quality at the base station. In one embodiment,the desired signal quality comprises a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Theobjective can be achieved by measuring the quality metric of a reverselink and reporting results of the measurement back to the subscriberstation. In one embodiment, the base station measures a reference signaltransmitted over the reverse link, and provides feedback to thesubscriber station. The subscriber station adjusts the reverse linktransmission power in accordance with the feedback signal. In oneembodiment, the reference signal comprises a pilot SNR, and the feedbackcomprises the RPC commands, which are summed in a summer 304 and scaledto obtain the required closed loop transmit power (TxClosedLoopAdj).Like the open loop, the closed loop is well known in the art and otherknown embodiments are equally applicable, as recognized by one ofordinary skill in the art.

The TxOpenLoopPwr and the TxClosedLoopAdj are summed in a block 306 toyield TxPilotPwr. The value of the TxPilotPwr is, in general, differentfrom the value of total transmit power required for transmission of adesired reverse link rate of data (rlRate). Consequently, the TxPilotPwrneeds to be adjusted for the required rlRate. This is accomplished bytranslating the rlRate to a power in block 308, and combining the resultof the translation with the TxPilotPwr in a block 310 to yield the totaltransmit power (TxTotalPwr). Consequently, the TxTotalPwr can beexpressed by an Equation 2:TxTotalPwr=TxOpenLoopPwr+TxClosedLoopAdj+PilotToTotalRatio(rlRate)  (2)where the PilotToTotalRatio is a function describing a translationbetween the rate of data of a signal used for determining theTxOpenLoopPwr and the TxClosedLoopAdj and the rlRate.

Because a transmitter implementation has maximum allowable power(TxMaxPwr), the TxTotalPwr may be optionally limited in block 312. Inone embodiment, the transmit power limiting is performed in accordancewith a method illustrated in FIG. 5. The method starts in step 502 andcontinues in step 504. In step 504, the TxTotalPwr is compared to theTxMaxPwr. If the TxTotalPwr is less or equal to TxMaxPwr, the methodcontinues in step 508, where the TxPwrLimited is set equal to TxMaxPwr;otherwise, the method continues in step 506, where the TxPwrLimited isset equal to TxTotalPwr. The method ends in step 510.

As follows from the above-described power control method if theTxTotalPwr is greater than the TxMaxPwr, the transmitted power islimited to the TxMaxPwr. Consequently, there is no assurance, that thedata transmitted will be successfully received and decoded at the BS.Consequently, a maximum admissible rate of data estimator is included inthe power control loop as described in the embodiments below.

Maximum Admissible Data Rate Estimation

FIG. 6 illustrates a conceptual arrangement of reverse link maximumadmissible rate of data estimation. The open loop generates an estimateof the reverse link quality metric in block 602. In one embodiment, thequality metric is a path loss. The estimated path loss is thentranslated into a required transmit power TxOpenLoopPwr in accordancewith other factors, e.g., a base station loading. In one embodiment, theTxOpenLoopPwr is estimated in accordance with FIG. 4. The TxOpenLoopPwris provided to a block 604, which may predict the value of TxOpenLoopPwrat some time in the future. The predicted output of block 604 is denotedTxOpenLoopPred. In one embodiment, the block 604 is an identityfunction; consequently, the TxOpenLoopPwr is unaffected by the block604, therefore, TxOpenLoopPred=TxOpenLoopPwr. Another embodiment of theblock 604 is illustrated in FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, TxOpenLoopPwr is provided to a linear,time-invariant filter 702. In one embodiment, the filter 702 is a lowpass filter. In another embodiment, the filter 702 has a transferfunction F₁=1; consequently, the TxOpenLoopPwr is unaffected by thefilter 702. The TxOpenLoopPwr filtered by a filter 702 is provided to afilter 704. In one embodiment, the filter 704 is a peak filter. Thefunction of the peak filter is explained in reference to FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 8, at time t₀, the Input signal is provided to a peakfilter. The value of the output of the peak filter Output signal isinitialized to the value of Input signal. From time t₀ to time t₁, theOutput signal tracks the Input signal. At time t₁, the Input signalreached a peak and started to decay. The Output signal stopped to followthe Input signal, and started to decay by a pre-determined rate. At timet₂, the Input signal became equal to the Output signal and continued torise. Consequently, the Output signal stops decaying, and startstracking the Input signal.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the TxOpenLoopPred is provided to a combinerblock 610. In one embodiment the combiner block 610 comprises a summersumming the TxOpenLoopPred with a prediction of the closed loopadjustment (TxClosedLoopPred), to yield a prediction of transmit pilotpower (TxPilotPred). The predicted closed loop adjustmentTxClosedLoopPred is estimated by providing feedback signals for theclosed loop to a block 606. In one embodiment, the feedback signalcomprises the RPC commands; consequently, the block 606 comprises asummer. The output of the summer represents the estimate of correctionto the open loop estimated transmit power (TxClosedLoopAdj). TheTxClosedLoopAdj is provided to a block 608. In one embodiment, the block608 comprises a filter as described in reference to FIG. 7, i.e., anoptional low pass filter 702 and a (non-optional) peak filter 704. Inaccordance with one embodiment, the pre-determined decay rate of thepeak filter 704 is 0.5 dB per a frame of signal. The peak filter isinitialized as follows. One of the ATs and one of the APs establish acommunication link using a predetermined access procedure, as part ofwhich the RPC channel is established. Assuming that the RPC channel wasestablished at time t₀ (referring to FIG. 8) the RPC commands are beingprovided to the block 608, and consequently to the peak filter 704. TheTxClosedLoopPred (the Output signal of FIG. 8) is then initialized tothe value of TxClosedLoopAdj (the Output signal of FIG. 8) at the timet₀.

Referring back to the block 610, the TxPilotPred is provided to acombiner block 612. Combiner block 612 also accepts a transmission powermargin (TxPwrMargin). In one embodiment, (not shown) the TxPwrMargin isa constant, with default value of 3 dB. In another embodiment, theTxPwrMargin is dynamically adjusted by block 614, in accordance withoutage events. The method for dynamically adjusting the TxPwrMargin isdescribed in detail below. Referring back to the combiner block 612, inone embodiment, the combiner block 612 is a summer, consequently theoutput, a bounded transmission pilot signal (TxPilotUpperBound) is givenby an Equation (3):TxPilotUpperBound=TxOpenLoopPred+TxClosedLoopPred+TxPwrMargin  (3)The value of the TxPilotPred is, in general, different from the value oftotal transmit power required for transmission of a desired reverse linkrate of data (rlRate). Consequently, the TxPilotUpperBound needs to beadjusted for the required rlRate. This is accomplished by translatingthe rlRate to a power in block 616, and in combining the result of thetranslation with the TxPilotUpperBound in a block 618 to yield thebounded total transmit power. A given rlRate is considered to beadmissible if an Equation (4) is satisfied:TxPilotUpperBound+PilotToTotalRatio(rlRate)<TxMaxPwr  (4)

To optimize performance of a communication system, it is desired thatthe highest data rate (rlRatePredicted), which is admissible (accordingto the Equation(4) is determined. Consequently, the TxTotalPwrUpperBoundis compared with the maximum power available for transmission (TxMaxPwr)in block 620. Thus, the block 620 evaluates the Equation (4). The resultof the comparison is provided to a block 622. If the Equation (4) issatisfied, the block 622 selects rlRate higher than the rlRate that hasjust been tested, provides the selected rlRate to the block 616, and theprocess is repeated until the Equation (4) does not hold. The highestrate, for which the Equation (4) is satisfied is outputted asrlRatePredicted. One of ordinary skill in the art understands that theblocks 618–622 can be implemented or performed with a general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. For the purposes of thisdocument any of the above-enumerated options is referred to collectivelyas a processing block.

Estimation of Power Required for Transmission of Data at a Rate of Data

Alternatively, the apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 6 may be utilizedfor estimating power required for transmission of data at apre-determined rate. In such an embodiment, the pre-determined rlRateyields a value of TxTotalPowerUpperBound as described above. TheTxTotalPwrUpperBound can be then outputted (not shown). Alternatively,the TxTotalPwrUpperBound may be compared with one or more thresholds,and the result may be used, for example, to control the state of thepower amplifier, to improve the energy efficiency of the transmitter(communication device). Thus, the TxTotalPwrUpperBound is compared withthe one or more thresholds in block 620. Thus, the block 620 evaluatesthe Equation (4). The result of the comparison is provided to a block622. The block 620 provides an indication whether the Equation (4) issatisfied to block 622, which provides an appropriate output, e.g., thevalue of the pre-determined rlRate, the corresponding threshold andindication whether the Equation (4) is satisfied or not. If desired, theprocess is repeated for all available rlRates, and thresholds.

TxPwrMrg Dynamic Adjustment

As discussed, the reverse link channel comprises the Physical LayerChannels transmitted from the AT to the access network. FIG. 9illustrates an exemplary reverse link waveform 900. For pedagogicalreasons, the waveform 900 is modeled after a reverse link waveform ofthe above-mentioned system in accordance to IS-856 standard. However,one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the teaching isapplicable to different waveforms. The reverse link channel 900 isdefined in terms of frames 902. A frame 902 is a structure comprising 16time-slots 904(n), each time-slot 904(n) being 2048 chips long,corresponding to a 1.66 ms. time-slot duration, and, consequently, a26.66 ms. frame duration.

In accordance with the IS-856 standard, the rate of data can change onlyat a frame boundary. In general, the value of rlRatePredicted will bedetermined several slots before the start of a frame, in order to arriveat the rate of data to be transmitted during that frame on the reverselink. Suppose the value of rlRatePredicted is determined at time t₀, kslots (k>0) before the start of a frame 902(m)in accordance with theabove-described embodiment. At the start of the frame 902(m), the ATevaluates the transmit power requirement for the determinedrlRatePredicted in accordance with the open loop and closed loop powercontrol, and begins transmitting the data. During the frame duration,the transmit power is adjusted in accordance with an update of the openloop and closed loop power control. Consequently, the actual transmitpower may differ from the transmit power TxTotalPowerUpperBound,corresponding to the determined rlRatePredicted. To evaluate theperformance of the maximum admissible data rate estimation, the conceptof outage can be utilized.

The n^(th) slot of the 902(m ^(th)) frame is defined to be in outage ofType A if the power required for the rlRatePredicted at the n^(th) slotis greater than the power determined for the rlRatePredicted at time t₀,i.e., if Equation (5) is satisfied:TxOpenLoop[16m+n]+TxClosedLoop[16m+n]+PilotToTotalRatio(rlRatePredicted[16m−k])>TxMaxPwr  (5)

If the nth slot of the 902(m ^(th)) frame is not in outage of Type A,then from Equations (4) and (5) follows:TxPilotPred[16m+n]+PilotToTotaRatiol(rlRatePredicted[16m−k])≦xPwrMargin  (6)

The n^(th) slot of the 902(m ^(th)) frame is defined to be in outage ofType B if the power required for the rlRatePredicted at the n^(th) slotis greater than the power determined for the rlRatePredicted at time t₀,i.e., if Equation (7) is satisfied:TxPilotUpperBound[16m+n]>TxPilotUpperBound[16m−k]n=0, 1, . . . , 15  (7)If the n^(th) slot of the 902(m ^(th)) frame is not in outage of Type B,then from Equations (4) and (7) follows:TxPilotPred[16m+n]+PilotToTotalRatio(rlRatePredicted[16m−k])≦TxMaxPwr  (8)

Equations (6) and (8) show that if the value of rlRatePredicteddetermined at time t₀ is used for transmitting the data over the nextframe 902(m+1), then the reverse link is not power-limited during then^(th) slot of the frame 902(m+1).

It has been discovered, that due to various methods for mitigatingchanging channel conditions, e.g., error correction, interleaving andother methods known to one of ordinary skill in the art, isolated slotoutages in a frame do not result in packet decoding errors, however toomany slot outages in one frame result in packet decoding errors. Adesign goal of a communication system is to limit the slot outageprobability, to guarantee minimal performance degradation due to packeterrors, while maximizing reverse link throughput under all channelconditions. From Equations (3), (4), (6) and (8) increasing TxPwrMarginmay reduce outage probability, while reducing TxPwrMargin increases thepredicted reverse link data rate. In other words, a large value ofTxPwrMargin provides a conservative estimate of the predicted reverselink data rate, resulting in lower user throughput and possibly,diminished reverse link capacity. Therefore, in another embodiment, thevalue of TxPwrMargin is dynamically adjusted in accordance with changingchannel conditions in order to maintain outage probability at thedesired value.

In one embodiment, dynamically adjusting the TxPwrMargin, involvesevaluating an occurrence of an outage for each slot of the frame902(m+1). If a slot outage occurs, the TxPwrMargin is incremented byPwrMarginUpStep; otherwise, the TxPwrMargin is decremented byPwrMarginDownStep. In one embodiment, the PwrMarginUpStep=0.5 dB, thePwrMarginUpStep=0.05 dB. The value of TxPwrMargin is further limitedbetween TxPwrMarginMin and TxPwrMarginMax. In one embodiment, theTxPwrMarginMin=0 dB and TxPwrMarginMax=6 dB

In another embodiment, if a frame has j slot outages, 0<=j<=16,TxPwrMargin is incremented by TxPowerMarginStep[j], whereTxPowerMarginStep[j] is an array of length 16. Note that severalelements of the array TxPowerMarginStep[j] can be zeros to allow for theabove-mentioned consideration that few, isolated slot outages in a framedo not result in packet decoding errors. The value of TxPwrMargin isfurther limited between TxPwrMarginMin and TxPwrMarginMax.

Ratchet Mode

Additionally, when the Type A outage is used for dynamic adjustment ofthe TxPwrMargin, a special update mode—a ratchet mode—is entered if thedetermined rlRatePredicted changes from a lower value to a maximumallowable rate of data value (rlRateMaxAllowable), or if the determinedrlRatePredicted changes from a higher value to a minimum rate of data(rlRateMinAllowable).

If the determined rlRatePredicted changes from a lower value to therlRateMaxAllowable, the lower bound of the power margin (TxPwrMarginLow)is set equal to the current value of TxPwrMargin. If a slot outageoccurs, the TxPwrMargin is incremented by PwrMarginUpStep. If no slotoutage occurs, an Equation (9) is evaluated:TxPwrMargin−PwrMarginDownStep>=TxPwrMarginLow  (9)

If the Equation (9) is satisfied, the TxPwrMargin is decremented byPwrMarginDownStep; otherwise, the TxPwrMargin is set equal toTxPwrMarginLow. When the determined rlRatePredicted changes from themaximum allowable rate of data value to a lower value, theTxPwrMarginLow is set to TxPwrMarginMin. The ratchet mode is exited whenthe determined rlRatePredicted drops below the rlRateMaxAllowable.

If the determined rlRatePredicted changes from a higher value to therlRateMinAllowable, upper bound of the power margin (TxPwrMarginUpper)is set equal to the current value of TxPwrMargin. If a slot outageoccurs, an Equation (10) is evaluated:TxPwrMargin+PwrMarginUpStep>=TxPwrMarginUpper  (10)If the Equation (10) is satisfied, the TxPwrMargin is not changed;otherwise the TxPwrMargin is incremented by PwrMarginUpStep. If a noslot outage occurs the TxPwrMargin is decremented by PwrMarginDownStep.The ratchet mode is exited when the determined rlRatePredicted exceedsthe rlRateMinAllowable.

In another embodiment of the ratchet mode, if rlRatePredicted equalsrlRateMaxAllowable, and a slot outage does not occur, then TxPwrMarginis not changed from the current value, if a slot outage occurs, theTxPwrMargin is incremented by a PwrMarginUpStep. If rlRatePredictedequals rlRateMinAllowable, and a slot outage occurs, TxPwrMargin is notchanged from the current value, if a slot outage does not occur, theTxPwrMargin is decremented by a PwrMarginDownStep.

FIG. 11 illustrates an outage event detector 1100, in accordance withone embodiment. The transmission power of a signal whose outage is to bedetermined (TxSignal) is provided to a block 1102, together with thereference signal (TxRefSignal). The block 1102 provides an output whenTxSignal is greater than TxRefSignal. In one embodiment, the block 1102comprises a comparator. The output of the block 1102 is provided to ablock 1104. The block 1104 is further provided with a timing signal fromblock 1106. Block 1104 outputs a signal providing information of thenumber of occurrences of TxSignal being greater than TxRefSignal.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that although thevarious embodiments were described in terms of power control beingperformed by both an open loop and a closed loop, such was done forpedagogical purposes only. Clearly, any mechanism that allows an AT toestimate a quality metric of a reverse link over which the AT transmitsdata is sufficient. Therefore, should an AT use only an open loop, oronly a closed loop, the embodiments would be equally applicable. Thus,referring to FIG. 6, if only an open loop were implemented, (i.e.,blocks 606 and 608 were deleted) form FIG. 6, the embodiments are valid,realizing that:TxOpenLoopPwr=TxPilotPwr  (11)

Furthermore, in a specific case, when path loss changes slowly theembodiment described in reference to FIG. 6 can be further simplified asillustrated in FIG. 10, where the function of blocks 1002, 1006, 1008,1010, and 1012 is the same as function of blocks 602, 606, 608, 610, and612. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that moving theblock 1012 to the closed loop branch does not change determination ofTxPilotPredUpperBound because Equation (3) holds.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that although thevarious embodiments were described in terms of flowcharts and methods,such was done for pedagogical purposes only. The methods can beperformed by an apparatus, which in one embodiment comprises a processorinterfaced with a transmitter and a receiver or other appropriate blocksat the AT and/or AP.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material,which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

1. A method for estimating a reverse link maximum data rate, comprising:determining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over whichdata is to be transmitted wherein the quality metric is determined by:generating an open loop estimate of the quality metric; generating aclosed loop estimate of the quality metric; filtering the open loopestimate using a first filtering method; filtering the closed loopestimate using a second filtering method; and summing the filtered openloop estimate and the filtered closed loop estimate; modifying thequality metric by a transmission power margin; and determining a maximumrate of data in accordance with the modified quality metric.
 2. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first filtering methodcomprises: filtering said quality metric by a linear filter.
 3. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first filtering methodcomprises: filtering said quality metric by a non-linear filter.
 4. Themethod as claimed in claim 3, wherein said filtering the quality metricby a non-linear filter comprises: filtering said quality metric by apeak filter.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining ata source of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to betransmitted comprises: receiving at a source of data at least one firstreference signal; and determining the quality metric in accordance withthe received at least one first reference signal.
 6. The method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein determining at a source of data a qualitymetric of a link over which data is to be transmitted comprises:receiving at a source of data a feedback signal; and determining thequality metric in accordance with the received feedback signal.
 7. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining at a source of data aquality metric of a link over which data is to be transmitted comprises:receiving at a source of data at least one signal; receiving at a sourceof data a feedback signal; and determining the quality metric inaccordance with the received at least one signal and the receivedfeedback signal.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 1, whereindetermining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over whichdata is to be transmitted comprises: receiving at a source of data areference signal; receiving at a source of data a feedback signal; anddetermining the quality metric in accordance with the reference signal,the received reference signal, and the received feedback signal.
 9. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein modifying the quality metric by atransmission power margin comprises: declaring an outage event whenpower required for transmission of a second reference signal exceedspower required for transmission of the second reference signaldetermined from previously modified quality metric; detecting occurrenceof the outage event during a pre-determined interval; and modifying thequality metric in accordance with the detecting.
 10. The method asclaimed in claim 9, wherein modifying the quality metric in accordancewith the detecting comprises: increasing a current transmission powermargin by a first amount when a pre-determined number of the outageevents occurred during the pre-determined interval; and modifying thequality metric by the increased transmission power margin.
 11. Themethod as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: decreasing a currenttransmission power margin by a second amount when the pre-determinednumber of the outage events did not occur during the pre-determinedinterval; and modifying the quality metric by the decreased transmissionpower margin.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein modifyingthe quality metric by a transmission power margin comprises: declaringan outage event when power required for transmission of data at theestimated rate of data exceeds maximum allowable transmission power;detecting occurrence of the outage event during a pre-determinedinterval; and modifying the quality metric in accordance with thedetecting.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein modifying thequality metric in accordance with the detecting comprises: increasing acurrent transmission power margin by a first amount when apre-determined number of outages occurred during the pre-determinedinterval; and modifying the quality metric by the increased transmissionpower margin.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:decreasing a current transmission power margin by a second amount whenthe pre-determined number of outages did not occur during thepre-determined interval; and modifying the quality metric by thedecreased transmission power margin.
 15. The method as claimed in claim13, wherein increasing a current transmission power margin by a firstamount when a pre-determined number of outages occurred during thepre-determined interval comprises: determining whether the estimatedrate of data has changed to a maximum allowable rate of data; setting aquality metric lower limit to the current value of the quality metric;and increasing the quality metric by a first value when a pre-determinednumber of outages occurred during the pre-determined interval.
 16. Themethod as claimed in claim 15, further comprising: decreasing the powermargin by a second value if the resulting decreased power margin isgreater that the lower limit of the power margin; and setting the powermargin equal to the lower limit of the power margin otherwise.
 17. Themethod as claimed in claim 14, wherein the decreasing a currenttransmission power margin by a second amount when the pre-determinednumber of outages did not occur during the pre-determined interval;comprises: determining whether the estimated rate of data is equal to aminimum allowable rate of data; setting a quality metric upper limit tothe current value of the quality metric; and decreasing the qualitymetric by a first value when a pre-determined number of outages occurredduring the pre-determined interval.
 18. The method as claimed in claim17, further comprising: increasing the power margin by a second value ifthe resulting increased power margin is less that the lower limit of thepower margin; and setting the power margin equal to the lower limit ofthe power margin otherwise.
 19. The method as claimed in claim 13,wherein increasing a current transmission power margin by a first amountwhen a pre-determined number of outages occurred during thepre-determined interval comprises: determining whether the estimatedrate of data is equal to a maximum allowable rate of data; andincreasing the quality metric by a first value when a pre-determinednumber of outages occurred during the pre-determined interval.
 20. Themethod as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: unchanging the powermargin when a pre-determined number of outages did not occur during thepre-determined interval.
 21. The method as claimed in claim 13, whereindecreasing a current transmission power margin by a second amount whenthe pre-determined number of outages did not occur during thepre-determined interval; comprises: determining whether the estimatedrate of data is equal to a minimum allowable rate of data; anddecreasing the quality metric by a value when a pre-determined number ofoutages did not occur during the pre-determined interval.
 22. The methodas claimed in claim 17, further comprising: leaving the power marginunchanged when a pre-determined number of outages occurred during thepre-determined interval.
 23. The method as claimed in claim 1, whereindetermining a maximum rate of data in accordance with the modifiedquality metric comprises: determining a transmission power in accordancewith the modified quality metric; and selecting a data rate whose thedetermined transmission power does not exceed maximum allowabletransmission power.
 24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesecond filtering method comprises: filtering said quality metric by alinear filter.
 25. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondfiltering method comprises: filtering said quality metric by anon-linear filter.
 26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein saidfiltering the quality metric by a non-linear filter comprises: filteringsaid quality metric by a peak filter.
 27. An apparatus for estimating areverse link maximum data rate, comprising: means for determining at asource of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to betransmitted, wherein the means for determining the quality metriccomprises: means for generating an open loop estimate of a first qualitymetric; means for generating a closed loop estimate of a second qualitymetric; means for filtering the open loop estimate using a firstfiltering means; means for filtering the closed loop estimate using asecond filtering means; and means for summing the filtered open loopestimate and the filtered closed loop estimate; means for modifying thequality metric by a transmission power margin; and means for determininga maximum rate of data in accordance with the modified quality metric.28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first filteringmeans comprises: means for filtering the quality metric by a linearfilter.
 29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the secondfiltering means comprises: means for filtering the quality metric by anon-linear filter.
 30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein themeans for filtering the quality metric by a non-linear filter comprises:means for filtering the quality metric by a peak filter.
 31. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the means for determining at asource of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to betransmitted comprises: means for receiving at a source of data at leastone signal; and means for determining the quality metric in accordancewith the received at least one signal.
 32. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 27, wherein the means for determining at a source of data aquality metric of a link over which data is to be transmitted comprises:means for receiving at a source of data at least one first referencesignal; and means for determining the quality metric in accordance withthe received at least one first reference signal.
 33. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 27, wherein the means for determining at a source ofdata a quality metric of a link over which data is to be transmittedcomprises: means for receiving at a source of data a feedback signal;and means for determining the quality metric in accordance with thereceived feedback signal.
 34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27,wherein the means for determining at a source of data a quality metricof a link over which data is to be transmitted comprises: means forreceiving at a source of data at least one signal; means for receivingat a source of data a feedback signal; and means for determining thequality metric in accordance with the received at least one signal andthe received feedback signal.
 35. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27,wherein the means for determining at a source of data a quality metricof a link over which data is to be transmitted comprises: means forreceiving at a source of data a first reference signal; means forreceiving at a source of data a feedback signal; and means fordetermining the quality metric in accordance with the first referencesignal, the received first reference signal, and the received feedbacksignal.
 36. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the means formodifying the quality metric by a transmission power margin comprises:means for modifying the quality metric by a pre-determined transmissionpower margin.
 37. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein themeans for modifying the quality metric by a transmission power margincomprises: means for declaring an outage event when power required fortransmission of a second reference signal exceeds power required fortransmission of the second reference signal determined form previouslymodified quality metric; means for detecting occurrence of the outageevent during a pre-determined interval; and means for modifying thequality metric in accordance with the detecting.
 38. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 37, wherein the means for modifying the quality metricin accordance with the detecting comprises: means for increasing acurrent transmission power margin by a first amount when apre-determined number of the outage events occurred during thepre-determined interval; and means for modifying the quality metric bythe increased transmission power margin.
 39. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 38, further comprising: means for decreasing a currenttransmission power margin by a second amount when the pre-determinednumber of the outage events did not occur during the pre-determinedinterval; and means for modifying the quality metric by the decreasedtransmission power margin.
 40. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27,wherein the means for modifying the quality metric by a transmissionpower margin comprises: means for declaring an outage event when powerrequired for transmission of data at the estimated rate of data exceedsmaximum allowable transmission power; means for detecting occurrence ofthe outage event during a pre-determined interval; and means formodifying the quality metric in accordance with the detecting.
 41. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 40, wherein the means for modifying thequality metric in accordance with the detecting comprises: means forincreasing a current transmission power margin by a first amount when apre-determined number of outages occurred during the pre-determinedinterval; and means for modifying the quality metric by the increasedtransmission power margin.
 42. The apparatus as claimed in claim 41,further comprising: means for decreasing a current transmission powermargin by a second amount when the pre-determined number of outages didnot occur during the pre-determined interval; and means for modifyingthe quality metric by the decreased transmission power margin.
 43. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 41, wherein the means for increasing acurrent transmission power margin by a first amount when apre-determined number of outages occurred during the pre-determinedinterval comprises: means for determining whether the estimated rate ofdata has changed to a maximum allowable rate of data; means for settinga quality metric lower limit to the current value of the quality metric;and means for increasing the quality metric by a first value when apre-determined number of outages occurred during the pre-determinedinterval.
 44. The apparatus as claimed in claim 43, further comprising:means for decreasing the power margin by a second value if the resultingdecreased power margin is greater that the lower limit of the powermargin; and means for setting the power margin equal to the lower limitof the power margin otherwise.
 45. The apparatus as claimed in claim 42,wherein the means for decreasing a current transmission power margin bya second amount when the predetermined number of outages did not occurduring the pre-determined interval; comprises: means for determiningwhether the estimated rate of data has changed to a minimum allowablerate of data; means for setting a quality metric upper limit to thecurrent value of the quality metric; and means for decreasing thequality metric by a first value when a pre-determined number of outagesoccurred during the pre-determined interval.
 46. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 45, further comprising: means for increasing the powermargin by a second value if the resulting increased power margin is lessthat the lower limit of the power margin; and means for setting thepower margin equal to the lower limit of the power margin otherwise. 47.The apparatus as claimed in claim 41, wherein the means for increasing acurrent transmission power margin by a first amount when apre-determined number of outages occurred during the pre-determinedinterval comprises: means for determining whether the estimated rate ofdata is equal to a maximum allowable rate of data; and means forincreasing the quality metric by a first value when a pre-determinednumber of outages occurred during the pre-determined interval.
 48. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 47, further comprising: means for leavingthe power margin unchanged when a pre-determined number of outages didnot occur during the pre-determined interval.
 49. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 42, wherein the means for decreasing a currenttransmission power margin by a second amount when the pre-determinednumber of outages did not occur during the pre-determined interval;comprises: means for determining whether the estimated rate of data isequal to a minimum allowable rate of data; and means for decreasing thequality metric by a value when a pre-determined number of outages didnot occur during the pre-determined interval.
 50. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 49, further comprising: means for leaving the powermargin unchanged when a pre-determined number of outages occurred duringthe pre-determined interval.
 51. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27,wherein the means for determining a maximum rate of data in accordancewith the modified quality metric comprises: means for determining atransmission power in accordance with the modified quality metric; andmeans for selecting a data rate whose the determined transmission powerdoes not exceed maximum allowable transmission power.
 52. The apparatusas claimed in claim 27, wherein the first filtering means comprises:means for filtering the quality metric by a linear filter.
 53. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the second filtering meanscomprises: means for filtering the quality metric by a non-linearfilter.
 54. The apparatus as claimed in claim 53, wherein the means forfiltering the quality metric by a non-linear filter comprises: means forfiltering the quality metric by a peak filter.